Salim Mehajer loses fresh bid for freedom

A Sydney judge has refused to release Salim Mehajer on bail pending an appeal against the severity of his sentence for electoral fraud.

The controversial former Auburn deputy mayor was jailed last month for a maximum of 21 months and a minimum of 11 months, after being convicted of electoral fraud for rigging the 2012 local government election that catapulted him into public office.

Salim Mehajer outside the Downing Centre court complex before he was jailed for a minimum of 11 months.Credit:Janie Barrett

The Downing Centre District Court heard on Thursday that Mehajer, 32, had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was seeking bail to start treatment and to prepare for his appeal against the severity of the sentence imposed by Local Court magistrate Beverley Schurr.

His lawyers will be urging the court to impose a non-custodial sentence at the hearing on September 3.

Advertisement

But Commonwealth Prosecutor Liam Cavell told the District Court that Magistrate Schurr had already taken into account Mr Mehajer's diagnosis and the sentence imposed was "obviously appropriate in the circumstances".

"I'm not convinced that bail should be granted," District Court Judge Helen Syme said.

Judge Syme said Magistrate Schurr had provided comprehensive reasons for her decision including the refusal of bail pending an appeal.

Mehajer would not have served a substantial part of his sentence by the time of the appeal hearing, Judge Syme said, and she had offered to hear the substantive appeal on Thursday to accelerate the process. That offer was declined.

"I don't propose to grant bail," Judge Syme said.

Loading

In a decision handed down in April, Magistrate Schurr found Mehajer engaged in a "joint criminal enterprise" with his younger sister Fatima to rig the September 2012 Auburn election.

Ms Schurr said the pair exchanged "numerous" incriminating text messages on July 30, 2012, shortly before the close of the electoral roll. Their tactics included enrolling a number of voters in the Auburn electorate who in fact lived outside its boundaries.

The election marked the beginning of an ignominious six years in the public spotlight for Salim Mehajer, who is facing separate charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and perverting the course of justice over an allegedly staged car crash that prevented him from attending the first day of an assault trial in October last year.